Secret Smile
by sadie2504
Summary: James is in love with Michael. After they are asked to act a closer-than-usual scene for their new X-men movie, he doesn't know how to hide it from Michael anymore.
1. Chapter 1

Just something I've been having on my mind lately, hope you like it!

Also, I used the same name of the song Secret Smile of the band Semisonic for the fic, because it inspired me a little to write this. And I just love that song, haha

Thanks for reading 3

-I own nothing

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"Listen, guys, you know how big this whole Erik and Charles relationship fandom is, right? I mean, you've seen it, they've got names for it and all", said Bryan. Michael chuckled and nodded, and James looked at him briefly to see his reaction then nodded nonchalantly too, almost copying him, trying to look casual but he had instantly felt a knot in his stomach; it always made him nervous to talk about it, to even consider that people would know how he really felt about the whole thing, how he felt about Michael. The three of them were sitting in Bryan's office, and he had gathered them both at the end of the day, saying he wanted to talk to them about something regarding to next day's scenes.

"Okay, good, then we're on the same page. The writers and I have been thinking and talking about it, and we've decided we'll do a little bit of fan service in this movie; on the past two films there was this kind of undertone about it, and it was never planned but it was a natural thing between you two, right? – he looked directly at them with big eyes, but didn't really wait for an answer and just continued talking- And now that we've seen people actually ship it, well, let's just say we want to mess with their heads a bit", said Bryan with a little smile, tilting his head. "Okay…" said Michael, squinting slightly at him, with a small, mischievous smile, and James' heart was racing a little faster, not knowing what Bryan was going to ask of them; he frowned a little bit and shifted in his seat, waiting for him to continue. "You mind if I smoke?" asked Michael suddenly as he took out his cigarettes, looking at Bryan and then at James, who made a friendly -"what are you talking about?"- face at him; they usually smoked together so he obviously didn't mind. "Go ahead", said Bryan distractedly with a movement of his hand. "So… –Michael lit his cigarrete slowly, sexy as it gets, according to James' point of view- are we finally gonna kiss on screen?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, and James almost choked when he heard him, feeling himself blush terribly, but laughed as naturally as he could and playfully punched Michael's arm to cover his nervousness, he was an actor after all. Bryan laughed too, and Michael winked at him to let him know he was kidding.

"Not exactly. The scene you're recording tomorrow, the one where Erik is trying to convince Charles to join him for the last time… –again- interrupted James with an exaggerated roll of his eyes, supporting his character, and Michael chuckled and punched his arm back, playfully too – Yes, again – said Bryan, chuckling - I need you guys to be very close, you know, Erik to be tempting and sexy, Charles to be nervous and kind of hot about it, basically – he explained- Tomorrow I'll be directing these things more specifically, but I need you guys to know this so you know how to prepare or rehearse it. What do you think, are you cool with it?"

James was torn between listening to Bryan and watching Michael smoke, a thing that made him burn inside because of how attractive he looked. He watched the smoke unfocusedly, not knowing what to answer, since he had the most mixed feelings he had ever had before with this whole thing; of course he wanted to have a kind-of sexy scene with Michael, it excited him just to think about it, even if it was just them acting, but he was worried about his poor little self; how was he going to manage to have a non exactly friendly close scene with the man he wanted so much, who he was in love with and stupidly desired every second of his life? One of the perks was that at least he wouldn't have to worry about acting since he'd probably be nervous and hot as hell when they made the scene, and that was supposed to be Charles' reactions to Erik being close and enticing. Oh, God. Poor Charles. It amused him how much alike he and his character actually were.

"Yeah, it sounds interesting and doable" said Michael with a little shrug, then turned to look at James with a curious look in his eyes; James held his gaze and, for a second, the nervousness faded away, and all that was left was the excitement, and a tiny portion of hope. Their mouths quirked a little at the same time, with that complicity they had always shared, not needing to talk, and Michael's little grin turned into a full smile. James rolled his eyes almost imperceptibly at Michael, still smiling, and then turned to Bryan, "It's okay with me. Just be careful with how close you place us though, some fans might explode", he said jokingly, and Bryan and Michael laughed, "good, that's the first scene tomorrow, so be here early so we can talk about it first… you're done for today, right?" said Bryan, and they both nodded, "good, go then, have some rest. See you tomorrow guys!", he said with a smile as he got up from his seat and left to one of the sets to continue with a small scene they were recording with Hugh.

"Well, we'll see how that goes", said Michael raising his eyebrows with a little smile after watching Bryan go, and James smiled back, nodding, without really knowing what to say. "Let's go, I'm starving… wanna get a pizza or something?" he said as he rose from his seat after a moment, trying to look like he didn't mind too much about the next day, and Michael followed him, "sure, pizza sounds great", he said, giving a little scan to James' figure as he walked in front of him, then gave a big step to catch up with him. They went to their trailers to pick up their stuff, and then Michael waited outside James' for a minute, since he had finished first. Once James was out, Michael received him with a big smile that was delightfully returned, and they started walking to the hotel, which was just blocks away. They walked in comfortable silence for the first minute, both tired of the day, but content about the company. Michael turned to look at James, noticing the slight worry in his eyes, and saw how he released warm air with a long sigh, contrasting beautifully against the cold air and looking like smoke, making him wish for a cigarette; he had been supposedly trying to quit and he had just had one 20 minutes ago, so he ditched the thought and ignored the craving. He playfully pushed James with the side of his arm, to wake him up from his trance, "hey!" said James softly, with a little smile, and pushed him back; Michael chuckled, "you're okay? You're a bit quiet, and that's not normal", he said, winking at him when James rolled his eyes, "I'm sorry I never shut up, but you love me anyway", he said, and Michael laughed and circled James' shoulders, rubbing the one at his reach to warm him up, "I do, I still don't understand why", he said, and James laughed, ducking his head to hide the blush he felt creeping on his chest and face, not sure if it was because of Michael's comment, even if it was obviously a joke, or his touch, or everything at the same time.

"Ugh… I forgot, could you order the pizza while I go to the bathroom? I should've ordered it earlier, I'm so hungry" said James a bit desperately once they arrived to the hotel and took the elevator; "I ordered it while I was waiting for you at the trailers, it should arrive in 10 minutes or so", said Michael with a little smile. "Really?" asked James excitedly and smiling widely, "you're the best", he added, resting his head briefly on Michael's shoulder affectionately, not realizing he was doing it but it seemed so natural, and it was at his perfect reach. He blushed lightly, thinking how much he wanted to stay there, to kiss his shoulder and tell him that he really was the best, but instead pulled apart from him, and Michael chuckled. "I know", he said jokingly, "wanna hang out at my room? I asked the pizza place to tell reception to send it there" he added. "Yeah, your room is alright, I'll just go quickly to my room to change into my pajamas" said James, getting out from the elevator and smiling backwards at him, already walking towards his room, which was right next to Michael's. Michael nodded and walked to his room, listening to James opening the door, then opened his and walked in, getting a couple of beers out the fridge as he waited for his friend.

James arrived five minutes later, his face fresh since he had washed it, and felt renewed, much more comfortable. He came in the room with a soft knock and smiled at Michael as he saw him lying on the bed, barefoot now, and he smiled back at James beautifully. He felt himself quaver slightly at the sight and thought of Michael waiting for him lying on his bed, relaxed and gorgeous, sexy as always. Michael took James' beer and opened it, then handed it to him as he was sitting on the spot next to him, "thanks, just what I needed", said James softly, and they both took a long gulp. After a few minutes the pizza arrived, and they both cheered excitedly; Michael paid for it and didn't accept James' money, frowning at him like he was saying something ridiculous when he mentioned he'd pay, and it made James blush with a little smile, just because he was being all gentlemanly with him; he was always like that, with everybody else too, but it still made him feel special and flushed just to be in that situation, to fantasize for a second and wonder how Michael acted on dates, if he did things like this, if he kissed on first dates; he probably did, he thought, flustered.

The first two slices were eaten quietly, they were both just concentrated on fulfilling their hunger; James took his third slice and just as he gave a bite he closed his eyes to savor it, then felt a presence very near him pulling at his food, so he quickly opened his eyes with a gasp and saw Michael biting the upper side of his slice of pizza at the same time than him, his face too near to James, his features too handsome for James to function correctly; "what are you doing?" said James a little scared and very amused, Michael laughed as he pulled apart from him and after swallowing he said, "just practicing for tomorrow", with a little wink. James rolled his eyes, "well I don't think you're supposed to scare the hell out of Charles", he said, wishing to hide his blush. "No, but I've gotta make him nervous –said Michael with a shrug- How do you really feel about it, that whole flirtatious thing happening on purpose on screen?" he added before taking a bite from his own slice of pizza, looking at James. He looked at Michael for a bit, thinking; he wanted to say he was excited, but scared about letting everything show, and eager about having an excuse to have him close, but instead he answered, "I think if it's done with good taste then it's interesting. We have to be careful I think, so it doesn't look tacky", which was the other thing he thought about the scenes, after all it was his job and he worried a bit about the reaction of the people who saw if it wasn't done tastefully. "I trust us, though" said Michael after a moment of thinking about what James had said, "it depends on us, and I know we'll do great, we always do, somehow", he added with a chuckle, and James smiled at him; Michael always managed to make James feel safe, like nothing could go wrong if they were together, like it wasn't a possibility.

That was what had made James fall head over heels for his co-star and friend, his ability to make him feel comfortable, secure, happy, apart from the obvious reason of him being the most gorgeous man alive. It had happened since day one, their chemistry, the click they had felt on and off screen, and the feeling had stuck to James, growing bigger each day, so by the end of the first movie he was terribly in love with Michael, and he had known it would happen since he first crossed looks with him; it was inevitable, really. He often wondered how all the people around them managed to not be in love with him, too. He had tried to fight it, obviously, but after their first break from recording, judging by the way he missed him so much and how he dreamt about him, about his voice, his smile, his touch, he knew it was all in vain, he'd just have to bare with it, and that's what he had done for the last few years: accept their friendship, not act on his feelings, smile at Michael when he talked about his girlfriends or the people he met at bars, even if it made him want to kick his butt every time he did and his heart broke a little. He couldn't help to notice though, how sometimes he said he had met "someone" instead of "a girl", and he wondered, and hoped, just because it was all he had left to do with this whole ridiculous being–in-love-with-your-male-friend thing, to dream that he might, some day, like him back.

After having dinner and hanging out for a while, they were almost falling asleep so they called it a night, and James went to his room, leaving Michael to change into his pajamas; as he was closing the door, he saw Michael's reflection in the mirror as he took his shirt off, and he paralyzed for a second, feeling his lower stomach jump. He realized he was staring so he closed the door quickly with a gasp, thankful that Michael hadn't seen him gawking at him; it had happened a thousand times before though, Michael being shirtless and James staring hopelessly at him, so whatever, he didn't care too much anymore if he noticed it.

Next morning, James woke up an hour earlier than needed, because he was too nervous and couldn't really keep sleeping. He tried to, but when he realized he wasn't going to be able to, he got up and took a long shower to try and relax. He usually listened to music while he was showering or getting ready, so he started a random playlist on his phone and smiled with a sigh and a little roll of his eyes as the first song started playing, since it always reminded him of Michael.

-Nobody knows it, but you've got a secret smile and you use it only for me-

He listened to the lyrics as he closed his eyes and felt the hot water run down his hair, his shoulders and fall directly into his back, relishing on the feeling. He really did think Michael had a smile that he used only with James, he didn't know why, but still, he had noticed it, and he adored it: it made him feel proud and special. He thought of the scene they were going to record that morning, and he inwardly cherished the opportunity of being actually able to work with this gorgeous man, his friend too, and get to do a scene that was at least close to what every actress -and some actors- in the world would want, a sexy scene with Michael Fassbender. And he'd already been nose to nose with him before, in two films… he was very lucky, really.

He checked his cellphone once he was out the shower and saw he had received a message from Michael,

\- Wanna go together to the set?

James smiled, it amused him how they always messaged each other even if their rooms were next to each other, and answered back,

\- Don't we always?

\- Just cheking! I'll pick you up in 15 minutes, darlin'.

He smiled again, wishing for a second the petname wasn't just for kidding; he got ready quickly, not minding too much about what he was wearing since he'd have to change as soon as they got there, so he just took a hoodie and a pair of jeans. He heard a soft knock, so he took his stuff and opened the door; Michael was waiting outside, "good morning", he said with his usual charming smile, and James smiled back at him as he got out his room and closed the door, "good morning, you. Thanks for picking me up, I hope it didn't take you too much time or divert you form your usual route", said James, and Michael laughed, "it did, a bit, but it's worth it", he said, and James smiled bashfully. Michael grinned too at James' reaction, "do you wanna have breakfast at Starbucks? I'm tired of the hotel's breakfast menu", said Michael, and James nodded, "yes, please. If I have those pancakes again I swear I'll sue Bryan", he said, and Michael laughed as they waited for the elevator to arrive. They had breakfast, and then they headed for the set, arriving twenty minutes earlier, since Bryan had asked them to.

Bryan described the scene to them with the point of view of the writers and him, and it was, as James had thought and hoped, tastefully done, so he didn't have to worry about that anymore. They went to make up and then they got dressed; Charles was wearing his civilian clothes, but Erik was dressed as Magneto –something that made James' knees quaver. They arrived to the set they'd use, which was some type of metal tunnel that was supposed to be in Xavier's mansion, and they were asked to do the first take. The first part of the conversation was a normal discussion between them, not too heated nor too friendly; Charles was being his usual peaceful self, but Erik was a little more intense than normal, both of them getting passionate about their discussion towards the part that James was fearing to do.

"Look at you, Charles, you're not even using your own powers just to be able to walk again, the last time I saw you you were already on your wheelchair, you crave to be like any other human", said Erik to Charles angrily, gesturing at his legs. "I had to use the antidote today, Erik, for personal reasons, please don't start with senseless arguments. And you can take that helmet off if you know I can't read your mind", answered a slightly more annoyed Charles. Erik smirked, looking at Charles dangerously for a couple seconds, then took his helmet off slowly and held it with one hand, loosely right next to his hip. "You don't want senseless, okay, then I'll give you a plain, raw reason to join me", he said, emphasizing the word "join" suggestively, getting slightly closer to Charles as he did; he then got right next to Charles' ear, resting his weight slightly over the other man's chest, supporting his hand on the wall that Charles was resting on, caging him. "You know you want to", he said, one camera on James' face, the other one zooming on Michael's slightly parted lips right next to James' ear. James could feel Michael's warm breath against his ear, and found it incredibly hard to not moan at how delicious it felt, at how sexy he smelt, how hot he was getting by having this gorgeous man so close; he had dreamt about it so many times, but in his dreams it always ended up differently: they'd kiss, touch, and moan against each other mouths, and Michael would let James undress him, and he'd ask James to undress for him, telling him to do it slowly, just like that scene in Shame that drove him mad.

He gasped and opened his mouth slightly as he closed his eyes since he felt them blur with desire, not even remembering what he was supposed to do on the scene, so he took a deep breath and concentrated on thinking of other things because he didn't want his body to betray him; swallowing heavily he moved his head slightly apart from Erik, thinking that's what Charles would do, even an in-love-with-Erik Charles, which was kind of the point of the scene. He placed his hands right between Erik and him, and pushed him faintly away, almost imperceptibly, ducking his head. "Michael- he said faintly- I mean, Erik! Fuck-", said James, blushing terribly as he heard "Cut!", and Michael chuckled, giving a little step back. "Sorry!" said James out loud, looking at Bryan, who smiled at them, "It's alright, let's take it from there, you're doing amazing, I love it – lots of sexual tension right there" said Bryan, drawing an invisible doodle with his finger between James and Michael, and James chuckled nervously, biting his lip. Michael laughed, then looked at James and winked at him as they all prepared to start recording again and heard the "3-2-1" on the background, James not being able to register it completely since he was struck by the effect of Michael's wink. He took a deep breath as Michael placed himself on the same position from before, resting his weight slightly on James' chest, caging him with his arms, his warm breath on his ear. James swallowed, "Erik, please… -he repeated the little push with his hands- whatever I may want, I won't let it interfere with what I desire the most; it is bigger than me, and bigger than us", said Charles, James concentrating as never before, since he didn't want his mixed feelings of misery and delight to be too evident.

Erik moved slowly apart from Charles, obviously baffled, then stopped so they were facing each other, closer than ever; James held his breath as he stared at Michael's eyes, which were staring back at him, and he couldn't help to look quickly at his lips, those lips that tortured every inch of his mind and soul, and swallowed thickly as he looked back at Michael's eyes. He saw Michael squint at him imperceptibly, not Erik, Michael, and he worried a bit, realizing he was being obvious. Erik was back and got closer to Charles for a second, then opened his mouth, like he was going to say something or kiss him, and James' heart skipped a beat, but then he retrieved as he straightened his costume with his hands, letting Charles go. It was time for Charles to turn away and leave, he remembered, so he left looking at the floor, and he knew what Erik was supposed to say next, but to hear it live, on Michael's voice, broke his heart a little. "Stay", he heard Erik say behind him, his voice thin. He stopped walking and turned his head a little, to look at him with the corner of his eye, then continued walking away. Stupid Charles – he thought- he'd stay in a second, help him end the human race, whatever, fuck it, he'd stay without a thought, if Erik, or Michael, asked him to.

"Cut!" he heard, and then came back to the set, since he had walked away for the scene. Bryan was already with Michael, and when he saw James come back, he smiled brightly at him, "that was amazing, James! I think it's perfect the way it is, we'll just do another take for safety reasons, but you were great! I believed every second of it, well done!" said Bryan, looking too excited, and walked away to talk to one of the cameramen. James smiled and nodded, then when Bryan left he turned to look at the hem of his shirt, not wanting to look at Michael; he knew. Michael poked his side, "how did you feel? You were great, man", he said with a smile, and James smiled back at him, blushing a little, "thanks… I felt good, I thought you were great too" he said, and Michael squinted for a second, noticing James' weird attitude, but smiled and nodded back at him, "thanks. You smell great, by the way" he said in a mocking tone and with a little wink, and James chuckled nervously; this man wanted to kill him. James wanted to tell Michael he smelled like a freakin' greek god –whatever they smelled like- how stupidly hot he was, how his own "acting" wasn't even acting at all, since he did make him feel all those things Charles was feeling for Erik. "Thanks - he said timidly instead - so do you", he added after a second, and Michael snorted playfully because of James' sudden sheepish attitude; it wasn't like he hadn't complimented him before, but okay, whatever.

They recorded their second take, which was equally painful for James since he was one second away from taking Michael's face in his hands and kissing him fervently, and those thoughts were interfering with his acting, but it went alright after all; apparently everyone thought he was acting greatly as a flustered Charles, which was just him being flustered, but they didn't have to know it. After their take, he crossed a couple words with Michael with a bright blush, how was he going to talk to him normally right after that? He was still relishing on his sweet, manly smell, on the slow and warm pace of his breath near his neck and ear, how it had made his skin blush and tickle, his lower stomach jump and burn. He had to leave at that moment or he'd start reciting promises and poems of love in one knee. He left with a dumb excuse and went to his trailer to hide, trying to take a nap but all he could do was remember Michael's sweet look, the sparkle in his eyelashes the way he had licked his lips so near to him right before speaking... he sighed a little desperately, hiding his face in his hands, but feeling himself smile inevitably at the memories from that same morning.


	2. Chapter 2

I own nothing about these people, haha  
Also, this chapter has a very explicit scene, I'm just warnin' ya.  
Enjoy 3

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The day they had recorded the scene, James came out of his trailer only when he had a scene to do; fortunately it was a scene with Nick and not Michael, so he could relax a little. While they were recording, he saw a very familiar tall figure with the corner of his eye sneaking in the set they were in, and he was thankful he wasn't talking at the moment because he would've forgotten his lines; he bit his lip and looked at the floor once Bryan had stopped the scene, and he could feel a burning look on him, so he couldn't resist the temptation. He looked up at where he knew Michael was standing, and saw him looking at him, and he quickly smiled softly at James and waved at him, which made James smile inevitably. He waved back with a little chuckle, then looked back at the floor and waited for the scene to continue. Once the scene was over, Michael got close to where James was; it was the time when they usually had lunch. "Hey, I hadn't seen you after our scene this morning, I was starting to get worried. Do you wanna get something to eat?" asked Michael with a caring tone, and James sighed; he really didn't want to spend time alone with him that day. All his feelings had resurfaced exponentially and it was too hard and tiring to try and hide them, so at least for the day he'd avoid Michael and he didn't even care to admit it to himself. "I'd love to but I… I'm not feeling very well… I had something to eat earlier, too. Sorry, but I'll see you later, okay?" he answered, and he saw Michael frown in confusion and nod slowly afterwards, "Okay… I hope you feel better then. See you around", he said, and James felt his heart sinking rapidly with the look in Michael's eyes and the slight hurt and seriousness in his voice; of course he knew James was lying, but what was he supposed to do? "Thank you", said James quietly and turned around, assuming he'd have to go to his trailer again, leaving a startled Michael behind him. It was the first time he had ever said no to an invitation from Michael, actually, so it was a weird feeling for both of them.

The rest of the week, James spent it as far away from Michael as he could; he knew he'd have to and would go back to normal, but the proximity and the emotional charge of the scene they had recorded had triggered his emotions and desires incredibly, and he wasn't sure how to deal with them now, even when he used to think he had them under control before. He did hang out with him a couple times during the week because he had ran out of excuses, and also because he missed him, but he had noticed Michael knew something was different, and he tried to act normal but he guessed Michael knew him better than he thought. Trying to hang out hadn't been the best idea, since all that was on his mind was the ever-lasting memory of Michael's scent and how the color of his eyes popped and changed once he was an inch away from him, and he missed the nearness, his warmth. He couldn't see his friend normally again now that he had been in the receiving end of the full-conscious Fassbender sensuality; he knew once he had seen and felt it, he'd never be able to forget about it, and it was happening now, that was what he had feared the most about the whole thing. He presumed though, that time would settle everything down, because he was his friend after all, one that he was desperately in love with, but his friend, and he'd do anything for that friendship.

By Friday afternoon, James had been dismissed from recording and he was back in the HOTEL; he took a shower and when he came out, he looked at his reflection in the mirror for a couple of minutes, just observing and thinking. He thought about how much his looks for Charles had been changed with each movie, and even if he had absolutely loved to have longer hair during DOFP, he enjoyed more the look for the third movie since it was basically just like James, maybe not in clothes but his haircut and slight beard were just the way he used to keep them right before starting to film. He ran his hand through his face, his chest, then slowly down his stomach, also noticing how the exercise had been actually working, and then caressed himself lightly with a little moan, thinking immediately of Michael's body, his gorgeous, sweaty torso. He closed and opened his eyes heavily, and licked his lips as he retrieved his hand, then smiled softly at his own reflection, shaking his head a bit.

He got dressed and put the kettle on, thinking about drinking a cup of tea and maybe reading a bit, when he heard a knock on his door. His heart made a jump, it was Michael, it had to be… no one knocked on his door without checking with him on the phone first if he was available at his room, no one except Michael, who always knew his schedules and was confident enough that he would be welcome in James' room at any time. James took a deep breath and checked himself in the mirror quickly, then opened his door. As expected, Michael was there, wearing a concerned face. "Hey", said Michael, "can I come in?" he asked, already giving a couple steps forward; James opened space for him to come in, "hi, yes… come in", he said, nervous again. Michael turned around after a couple more steps, and James had stayed where he was after closing the door.

"I'm sorry", said Michael suddenly, looking into James' eyes, his hands in his pockets. James frowned and looked at him for a couple seconds, trying to think what in hell was he apologizing for, "what are you sorry about?" he asked, giving a small step forward mechanically. "I don't know – said Michael with a shrug, looking around him a bit desperately- but I must have done something terrible because you've been avoiding me all week, so whatever it is I did, I'm sorry". "I haven't been avoiding you!" said James impulsively, "oh, James, don't even", answered Michael, a little annoyed, turning to look at the window; James pulled his lips together tightly, like a little boy who had just been told to be quiet. He stared at Michael in awe, wishing to kiss him and tell him he never did anything wrong, that he was perfect, and that was exactly what was keeping him away, his perfection. "You didn't do something wrong, Michael, I'm not mad at you", said James softly, looking at the floor, after a few silent seconds in which they had stared at each other with wondering eyes. "Then what's wrong?" asked Michael; James looked up at him and noticed his eyes looked sad, and he felt his insides churning. The kettle started whistling, scaring them both for a second, so James used the opportunity and went to turn it off, and poured two cups of hot water silently, then took two bags of tea and settled them in each mug, watching distractedly how the color of the herbs in the little bag started diffusing throughout the water in a beautiful brown stain as he thought what he was going to say; he hated to lie to his best friend.

He took both mugs in his hands and turned around just as Michael was beginning to say "you haven't answered my ques- Ouch!", "Fuck! I'm so sorry!" said James, very alarmed; he had turned a bit fast and Michael was much closer than he thought, almost right behind him, so he jumped in his place and most of the tea of one of the mugs poured over Michael's chest. He turned around quickly to leave the mugs on the counter and Michael was separating the wet part of his shirt from his chest, rounding his back and pulling the shirt with his hand to the front, "God, I'm sorry, did it burn you?" said James very preoccupied, pulling at his shirt for him to take it off without thinking much, he was just worried about him being hurt since the water had just boiled; Michael looked briefly at him and began to take it off, "no, don't worry, I'm okay" he said, and James sucked in a breath as he watched Michael taking his shirt off and noticed he was still clutching to it, so with a bright blush he released it at the same time Michael had thrown it to the floor. They both looked at the reddened skin, but it didn't look too bad, "does it hurt?" asked James with a thin voice, as he saw Michael poking at his skin, "it hurts a bit but I don't think it was a bad burn, it's just red because of the heat", he answered distractedly, then turned to look at James, who was close to him. He gave James a reassuring smile, "don't worry", he said softly, stroking James' arm in comfort. James blushed again, he wasn't the one who was supposed to be comforted, it was Michael; he smiled back at him with a little nod and walked to the bathroom, "wait, I'll be right back", he said, leaving Michael behind.

He came out of the bathroom to find Michael standing near the window; he stopped in his place for a second and gasped, looking at Michael's figure and how the light that came from the window made the muscles of his arms and chest look bulkier because of the shadows, and it brought out the ginger of his stubble. He looked gorgeous, delicious, heavenly. He breathed in and out heavily and continued walking towards him, then Michael noticed his presence and gave a couple steps closer, "here, I brought this", said James, showing him a soft towel he had brought, along with a small bucket of cold water and some lotion. He soaked the small towel in the water and then reached for Michael's reddened skin tentatively, looking at him in the eye, "it's cold, but it'll feel good", he said caringly, and Michael smiled and nodded, "thank you", he said, then bit his lip when he felt the cold towel on his skin, but it did feel much better. James pressed the towel lightly against Michael's chest, and noticed how surreal the situation was… he was having the opportunity to touch a very half-naked Michael, he must have done something good. He moved the towel back to the bucket because it had gotten warm with Michael's skin, and once he moved it he saw how the drops of water from that spot ran down his chest and over those incredible abs; he swallowed thickly at the sight, then realized he was staring and quickly turned to look at the bucket, and covered up the not-so-reddened-now skin, and ran his eyes from that spot up through Michael's clavicles, his broad shoulders and neck, his perfect jaw, lips and up to his eyes. Michael was looking at him too, and he smiled sweetly at James, moving his hand and placing it over the towel, right next to James' hand, "I can do it", he said softly, with a little chuckle, and James blushed and nodded, "yes, sorry", he said, leaving the towel to Michael, touching his stomach ever so lightly as he retrieved his hand. "Don't be sorry, I just don't want to abuse of your generosity", he said half jokingly, and James' lips quirked into a smirk, suddenly feeling like every other day, like before he had been avoiding Michael. He missed him, he fuckin' missed him, and he loved him too much to be able to not have him around.

James closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them and breathed in the gorgeousness he had in front of him, and it made him chuckle, it was almost unreal, "it's just… it's not fair", he said with a smile and a weird mixture of calm and desperate voice; "what's not fair?" asked Michael with a frown. James looked at his eyes, and with a given up look and a shrug he said, "you, looking like this, it's not fair". Michael squinted and kept his frown, "what… what are you talking about, James?" he said, and James laughed softly, covering his face with his hands anxiously. Fuck it, he'd tell him. He'd have to say it sometime, and it was more than fuckin' obvious now, anyway; it was either that or hiding in a hole forever, which didn't sound too bad nevertheless, compared to what he was about to do. "I like you – he looked at Michael's eyes and sucked in a breath, then closed his eyes tightly – no, I don't like you. I love you" he opened his eyes big again, and tried to concentrate on breathing deeply, feeling his heart racing faster than ever, and too conscious of how hot his cheeks were. "I've been in love with you for… always, I think", he said, and noticed Michael was just looking at him with a serious and kind of startled look, but wasn't reacting too much, he wasn't even moving; James opened and closed his mouth, then continued talking, looking at the floor, "I'm sorry to say these things, but you came here to ask me! – he looked up at him again – I've always liked you Michael, and I've been able to bare with it, but the scene we recorded the other day, it just… you were too close, too beautiful, and I had the opportunity to see, through Erik, what you'd be like if you were in love with me too, you know? And it hurt me, to have you in some way and then being tear APART from it, from you…" he started fiddling with the hem of his shirt and looked at it to avoid Michael's gaze, "I couldn't be with you right then or I'd burst out, which is what's happening right now, but I wasn't avoiding you because I was mad or I didn't like you… it was all the way around", he said, still looking down, and closed his eyes to have a deep breath. He was nervous, scared as hell of what may come next, but he did feel like he had taken a very heavy backpack off his shoulders.

After taking a couple of calming breaths, he opened his eyes when he felt Michael's hand stroking his arm softly, and he turned to look quickly at the touch, but Michael still didn't say a thing; "I'm sorry I made you feel bad by avoiding you, anyway", said James, looking up at Michael's face, who said a soft "no", with a small shake of his head, a reassuring look in his eyes and a gentle smile. James sucked in a breath at how sweet Michael looked, and got increasingly nervous because he noticed he was getting closer, so he attacked his nervousness with the way he knew better: talking. "I… I don't expect something from you – he shifted his look from Michael's hand, which was traveling from his arm to his shoulder, then turned to look at him in the eye again- I'm not asking for anything", he said, and Michael nodded with an almost imperceptible pout combined with another sweet smile, "I know", he said quietly, looking at James' lips and moving his hand to his neck. James swallowed and felt his heart pounding; he opened his mouth to say something, but his brain was too occupied at panicking with the fact that Michael was definitely getting closer to him. "I… wha – started James dizzily, but was interrupted by him. "Shhh" he said very quietly, placing his thumb softly over the corner of James' lips, his finger the only thing that was separating them now; James could feel his intoxicating breath so near his mouth and the warmth of his hand over his lips, jaw and part of his neck, and he felt like he could almost die right there with thrill and confusion.

James did stop talking and Michael smirked a little, replacing his thumb with his lips after a couple of seconds. James gasped and closed his eyes, not really knowing what was happening but it all just felt like heaven; Michael's lips were soft and amazing and everything and more that he had ever dreamed of. Michael moved his lips and pulled softly and slowly at his lower lip, and after realizing he was holding his breath, James' senses became incredibly sharp, perceiving the tickle of Michael's skin on his own, the warmness he was irradiating, the soft breath of Michael's mouth into his own as he kissed him openly now; he moaned as he ran his hands through Michael's strong arms and placed them on his neck, relishing on the sensation of Michael's big hands moving through his back and settling on his waist. Michael moaned too, opening his mouth slightly and licking James' lower lip, causing him to moan softly again, then they both rolled their tongues together, slowly, just as James had dreamed of so many times before. They continued kissing for a couple of minutes, both putting in the kiss the so many words they hadn't said before, all the feelings they had trapped inside them, and it became the best kiss James had ever had, without a doubt. They pulled slightly APART, just their lips to get some air, and James opened his mouth to breathe in; Michael looked at his open lips lustfully then bit his lower lip, squeezing his waist slightly then moving his hands to his hips. "God… what's – James started talking, then laughed softly – why are you kissing me?" he asked, running his eyes from Michael's incredibly sexy and very undressed torso up to his eyes, and held his look, their faces and bodies still too close, and he couldn't help to keep caressing his neck and shoulders, not believing his luck.

Michael smiled and pecked his lips very softly before saying, "it was the only way to get you to stop talking", then smiled charmingly at James, who laughed and punched his arm playfully. Michael changed his charming, fascinating smile to a soft, reassuring one, "because I've been wanting to kiss you since I saw you for the first time, wearing that dorky uniform in Band of Brothers", he said, running his finger through his arm, then took James' hand in his, entwining their fingers, "I've liked – he pulled his hand up and kissed James' knuckles – wanted –he looked into his eyes sexily and made a small pause, which caused James to blush helplessly – and loved you madly since I can recall". James was literally speechless, torn between not knowing if he needed to cry or laugh, because Michael loved him back. He did, and he had loved him for years, just as him, so it was fucking ridiculous how they could have been together for a long time now, and they had just been friends who were in love with each other, afraid and lonely. It was alright though, because nothing could ever ruin the fact that he was actually able to have a relationship with the man who had been the object of his fantasies for so long now, his best friend, his inspiration, the love of his life.

James got a sudden shot of lust and love in his body once he realized it was safe to act on it, so, pulling Michael very tightly, he kissed him eagerly, licking his lips, his jaw, biting and stroking, and Michael reacted instantly in the same way, "I love you", said James almost moaning, and Michael answered between wet kisses on James' neck, "I love you too – fuck, you're beautiful", he said, causing James to chuckle nervously, "you – God, you're gorgeous, and so sexy", said James, running his hands through Michael's chest and abs, savoring the feeling. "I just hope all this isn't a dream", whispered James beautifully into Michael's ear, who smiled and said "So do I. Let's see – he pinched James' butt playfully with a mischievous smile – there, I think we're safe", he said, and James chuckled, kissing Michael's cheek; Michael didn't retrieve his hand from James' butt, so he started caressing it tentatively, and once he felt James kissing his jaw and neck more eagerly and slightly curving his back into his touch, he squeezed his butt cheek in a sexier way, then used his other hand to squeeze both of them once more. James sighed sharply and groaned a little, incredibly aroused by Michael's touch; he squeezed a bit more softly a third time and pulled James' hips against his, causing their both erections to touch through their jeans. They both moaned quietly, "fuck…" whispered James at the feeling and the realization that he was actually having contact with the body of the sex scenes he had watched an embarrassing amount of times in every movie Michael was in, and felt incredibly proud of himself. He knew it was a very superficial thought, but whatever, he loved the man, and nobody would get hurt if he enjoyed the fact that Michael was stupidly hot and pre-tty well endowed. He blushed and smirked at the thought, and bumped their hips together once more almost involuntarily; Michael grunted and pulled at James' shirt, then placed his both hands under it to caress his skin, sliding them up to take it off, the warmth of his long fingers causing James to shiver.

Once James' shirt was off, Michael gawked at him for a few seconds and took a long breath, then ducked his head and kissed James' shoulder eagerly, moving to his clavicle and then his chest, as James panted and groaned softly, caressing Michael's hair and neck. They didn't notice when they had started walking, but suddenly they were at the foot of the bed, and Michael pushed James gently onto it, placing himself on top of him. He gave a long lick from James' stomach up to his chest, following the sharp line that marked the middle of his core, and whispered, "you're so sexy", huskily against his neck, kissing it slowly. "Thank you – said James breathlessly – you're the sexiest", and Michael chuckled, moving his hands to James' pants, "That's – he opened the button – definitely not true, but thank you, babe", he said with a little smile, kissing him then looking at how he was unzipping James' pants. James was looking down too, breathing heavily and moaning as Michael ran his finger underneath the hem of his underwear and pulled at it to bring it down along with his jeans, but first looked at James' eyes, asking with a look if it was okay for him to do so. James smiled, biting his lip with a small nod, and Michael smiled sweetly at him, kissing his lips softly, "gorgeous", he whispered, and James chuckled bashfully; Michael was sexy, tender, sweet, everything someone would ask for, and he had imagined he was all these things but having them live, it was a whole other story. He pulled down James' jeans along with his underwear, leaving him completely naked under him, and gave a long scan from the bottom to the top of his body; James could notice his breathing got heavier as he gawked at his body, and got a sudden urgency to undress Michael too, so he began undoing his pants, his hands almost trembling. As he undid them, Michael kissed him, wet and slow, and James shivered slightly, "of all the things you're good at, I think kissing is the best you do", said James softly against Michael's lips, and Michael chuckled, helping James to remove his pants and underwear more quickly, giving James a chance to peek at him right before he rubbed his erection against James' slowly, causing both of them to moan, "let's see if you think the same way after tonight", said Michael sexily into James' ear. "Mmm… fuck", moaned James, closing his eyes and enjoying the sensation of Michael's hot, strong body on top of him, making him feel small and manageable and he definitely liked the feeling.

They kept rubbing against each other for a while, kissing and stroking each other, and when they were too hot to not do something about it, Michael ran his hands along James' thighs and spread his legs, pulling his knees up. James gasped and felt his heart pounding faster, thrilled and a bit scared, but in a good way. Michael knelt and kissed James' knee, then all the way down his inner thigh, and as James moaned and gasped, he stopped for a second and turned to look at James. "Do you feel we're going too fast?" asked Michael gently, and James turned to look at his eyes and caressed his hair softly, "I've been in love with you for five years, I think this is the slowest I've ever been with someone", he said with a little smile, and Michael chuckled, "that's true. I just… I don't want you to think I just want you for this", said Michael, and James smiled back at him, caressing his cheek now, "I would never think that about you. Come here" he said, pulling at Michael's shoulder. Michael got close to James again, and they kissed slow at first, but got back to their previous rhythm in less than a minute, James feeling amazingly aroused by having his knees against his own chest, being spread up by Michael, feeling his heavy dick resting on him. "Michael, please, fuck me", he said, and felt his ears and cheeks go red at saying those words, the ones he had imagined saying more than a thousand times, those he had said to himself uncountable and lonely nights, and heard Michael moan heavily and buck his hips against him, obviously turned on by hearing James say it. "Fuck – he whispered – yes, I'll fuck you good, baby", he said, breathing heavily and taking James' hand to lick it and placing it on his dick to use it as lubricant. James moaned loudly at the words and the sensations, and after a minute Michael arranged both their positions to place the tip of his penis in place, "you've done this before?" he asked quietly against James' mouth, caressing his knee to help him relax. "Y-yes" said James a bit nervously and Michael lifted an eyebrow at him, a hint of jealousy on his face, "not with someone else but, well I… dildo" he said, blushing lightly and quirking his lip a bit; Michael smiled, "that's hot", he said, and pushed a little further inside, not able to talk anymore, and they both began panting heavily.

Once he was completely inside, he gave a very slow but deep thrust, groaning, and James moaned loudly too, "ah, yes", he whispered sensually, and Michael thrust again, kissing his knee, which was almost right next to his face, then his cheek and finally his lips, staying there for a while, exploring and getting to know James in this whole new way, what made him shiver, moan or bite him asking for more. He changed his position slightly, searching for that spot that he knew would make James shout, and with a sharp thrust he felt it in his own body as James quavered under him, shouting Michael's name, "fuck, wha- what did you do?", he said, panting, and Michael smirked, thrusting into the same spot again, getting a slightly less surprised but equally enthusiastic reaction from James, "you like it babe?" asked Michael huskily, moaning too, licking and biting at James' neck, "yes, fuck, you're- ah, you're the best at this", moaned James, and the most primal part of Michael got high on pride, making him moan loudly and thrust slightly harder and faster, feeling how they were both getting close to the end. James welcomed the shift in timing and panted gorgeously against Michael's mouth; they both spoke unintelligible dirty and loving words, some of them they could understand and they made each other moan and tremble with desire, and after a couple of minutes, James started to feel the burn in his lower stomach and how it began spreading through his limbs, aware that Michael was finishing too, so he pulled at him to kiss him eagerly between loud moans, feeling the warmth of Michael's orgasm inside him for the first time, a feeling so amazing that he promised himself he'd never forget, and his own cum spreading between their bellies. "I love you", said James against Michael's mouth as they both caught their breaths; "I love you too, James", said Michael, kissing him sweetly and caressing his neck as he pulled out from him softly.

They stayed that way for a while, Michael on top of James, careful not to put all his weight on him, staring at those gorgeous blue eyes he loved so much. "What are you doing tonight, beautiful?" he asked moving to lie down next to him. James smiled, "I don't have any plans, why?" he answered, and Michael nodded, "good. Do you want to go out on a date with me?" he asked, caressing James' cheek tenderly; James chuckled, finding it funny how they'd have their first official date right after having sex, they definitely didn't go according to the usual dating rules, but he loved it. "I'd love to have a date with you", he said softly, and Michael smiled brightly at him, "Perfect – he kissed him slowly, then looked at the clock – I'll pick you up at 8, sounds good?" he asked, and James laughed and nodded, "sounds great, I need a shower, and so do you", he said, looking down Michael's amazing body mischievously. Michael winked at him and bit his lip, then got up from the bed a bit lazily, being followed by James as he picked up his clothes and put them on quickly; James stayed naked. They both walked to the door, "see you in half an hour, gorgeous", said Michael, and James bit his lip blushing a little, "see you later, handsome".


End file.
